Earwig hutch invasion for the second year running!

Betsy

Betsy

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My hutch is full of earwigs and earwig eggs again this year. :yikes: Last year I managed to get rid of them (eventually) by being VERY thorough with the F10 which kills off the eggs (which I discovered quite by accident last year). The earwigs seem to like the corners most where it's really difficult for the brush to get into. I thought I had got all the little blighters out today but no there were about 20 hiding in each corner of the hutch. I only had a chance to do the top bit today where Dennis and Betsy live cos of the rain and that was bad enough I'm sure the bottom bit where Christian, Velvet and Meg live will be much worse. I had to get out the car hoover to get rid of about a million eggs or so it seemed (they just look like little black dots). I then liberally sprayed everything with F10, wiped it around with a cloth, let it dry out and put Dennis & Betsy back in once the fleece, pee pads and hay was put in. Just as I was about to do the bottom where the other 3 live the heavens opened so they will be done on the next dry day.

Does anyone else have an earwig invasion? or do they just like my hutch and my piggies?
 
Aw, horror of horrors, I have an earwig phobia :yikes:

I understand earwigs are great parents to their young!
 
Is there any way you can sylicon seal the hutch from the outside? Spose they are getting through the mesh though
 
I can't suggest doing any more than you are, just wanted to send hugs, sorry you are having this problem again.
 
When my hamster died, when i was a kid. A centrepede ( cant spell it) crawled out of its mouth. Ever since i cannot bare seeing one. Ergh
 
Little blitters pack a nasty punch in those pincers. I had one on the end of my finger once, it wouldn't let go. The only thing that ever hurt more than that on the end of my finger was a hampster called Fluffy. Fluffy was the love of my daughters childhood, she never bit my daughter but was often attached to my finger!
 
piggieminder said:
Little blitters pack a nasty punch in those pincers. I had one on the end of my finger once, it wouldn't let go. The only thing that ever hurt more than that on the end of my finger was a hampster called Fluffy. Fluffy was the love of my daughters childhood, she never bit my daughter but was often attached to my finger!
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I have also had a hamster bite. One thing i learnt was never to disturb them when they are sleeping. Ouch!. Deep bite
 
There is a special insecticidal version of F10, is that the one you have? I've not tried it yet but I have one in stock just in case we ever get mites, I bought some for my daughter after her neighbour's cat came in for a visit and left a minor flea infestation...
 
PigglePuggle said:
There is a special insecticidal version of F10, is that the one you have? I've not tried it yet but I have one in stock just in case we ever get mites, I bought some for my daughter after her neighbour's cat came in for a visit and left a minor flea infestation...
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I didn't know that so thank you for the info I shall have a look for it. We get infested with ants in warm weather, they come in the house and I'm afraid to use anything to get rid them because of the piggies.
 
My rabbit hutch gets infested with them and after cleaning him out yesterday I'm sad to say I also saw a few...though luckily not quite infestation stage yet. They are horrible little things and I always feel a prickling sensation after seeing one. Think it's just my head telling me ones crawling about...no thank you!! Lol.
 
I must confess I adore Earwigs 😂 I used to always find them in the grooves of my outdoor hutches when I still kept piggies outside. I remember my Dad used to stick bamboo canes in the ground with a plastic plant pot filled with hay stuck over the top, they seemed to prefer those to the hutches and most moved over to those...although it could have been because they were getting fed up of me coming along and annoying them, trying to pick them up!
 
Eriathwen said:
They have lovely little faces and they're shiny 😂
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I agree @Eriathwen they are very cute, and good mothers, and play an important ecosystem role. But I think @Betsy feels rather differently, especially if they are in her hutches! I love all animals but I felt a bit the same when a rat ran into my backyard while I was putting the rubbish out, rats can be lovely... but not infesting my bin then running about on the patio!
 
PigglePuggle said:
I agree @Eriathwen they are very cute, and good mothers, and play an important ecosystem role. But I think @Betsy feels rather differently, especially if they are in her hutches! I love all animals but I felt a bit the same when a rat ran into my backyard while I was putting the rubbish out, rats can be lovely... but not infesting my bin then running about on the patio!
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Oh definitely.. there's an adorable little wasp peering through my window at the moment, but they're a great deal less adorable when I'm having to escort them back outside XD some things are better admired from a distance!
 
Patch89 said:
We have an infestation too.
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Pleased its not just me then! Not so many this week as last week. I think hoovering them up with the car hoover when I clean the hutch has something to do with it plus liberal spraying of F10. Last year it took around 6 weeks to eradicate then completely.
 
Betsy said:
Pleased its not just me then! Not so many this week as last week. I think hoovering them up with the car hoover when I clean the hutch has something to do with it plus liberal spraying of F10. Last year it took around 6 weeks to eradicate then completely.
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We are getting some f10. The piggies are in for the night while we deep clean. We have found what we think is the nest in the garden.
 
There are several in my garden. :yikes: I have put boiking water on what I think is the main one today.
 
U could try power hosing the inside but it might lift some of the paint and how old is the hutch because the power hose could be too strong for the old frame
 
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